MEET ILANA

More about Ilana

Ilana Long loves a good laugh. She honed her comedy chops in Chicago, studying and performing at The Second City. After moving to Seattle, she alternately slayed her audiences or went down in flames with her stand-up routines and improvisational comedy gigs until she shifted into writing and performing sketch comedy, notably for Seattle’s Sketchfest with her show Broad Comedy.

Before her debut novel, Pickleballers, Ilana authored the children’s book Ziggy’s Big Idea, and many essays in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Additionally, Ilana wrote a monthly, twin-parenting column for Multiple Madness and a lighthearted, monthly column for The Tico Times, Costa Rica’s national English language newspaper (2015-2017).

Ilana supported her writing compulsion with a teaching career, mostly in Bellevue, Washington, where her twin children and her pickleball addiction were born. Besides being an adventure and travel lover, her career spanned countries - teaching in the US, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Currently, she lives outside Seattle with her husband and brilliant website technician, Steve. (In lieu of payment, Ilana is making this concession.)

Aside from writing, Ilana’s creative passions include singing, acting, songwriting, performing in musical theater, and watercolor painting. On the rare days when there is no pickleball, she hikes, lake swims, and kayaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Pickleballers is my debut novel. I also wrote the picture book Ziggy’s Big Idea and several Chicken Soup for the Soul essays.

    Additionally, I am fine-tuning three other manuscripts: a comic fantasy for adults, a YA sci-fi, and a humorous, creative non-fiction about twin parenting.

  • Patience and persistence. I did a lot of research to find an agent that would suit my writing style/genre and sent out many, many individually crafted queries before landing an agent. After that, my agent stuck with me as I reworked a different manuscript. But at last, Pickleballers was the right book at the right time to get picked up by Berkley.

  • Stick with it! Don’t give up. Be willing to revise and make changes to your writing to find the best fit for the current market. And practice every day.

    I had an acting teacher who said “You can call yourself an actor as long as you work toward your acting every day.” I took that advice to heart and when people asked me “Oh! What have I seen you in?” I would reply, “I went to an audition today,” or “I practiced my monologues today.”

    It’s the same with writing. Just write. Every day. Lots.

  • Next question, please!

    But seriously, I am addicted and my Achilles tendon is paying the price. I probably play four to six days a week, for a couple of hours a day. One would think with all that practice I’d be some kind of pickle savant. However, I am about as coordinated as a giraffe at a swim meet, so there’s that.

  • Yep. Stay tuned and check out my events page after Pickleballers’ release in November of 2024.

  • So far, my pickleball-loving husband has read my book! My 21-year-old twins have not yet read it, as reading their mom’s spicy romantic comedy might send them into a tailspin. However, I figure I’ve already given them plenty of fodder for therapy. What’s one more penis joke?